Melt-Electrospinning of High Melt Flow Index Polypropylene and Polycaprolactone Utilizing An Extrusion Process

Melt-electrospinning has grown more attention relative to that of conventional solution electrospinning processes in the last 15 years due to higher production rates, removal of harmful, carcinogenic solvents, and the ability for scale-up.  Therefore, melt-electrospinning is a more viable process for commercialization than that of the conventional solution electrospinning process.  In this study, the effect of processing parameters, i.e. flow rate, applied voltage, and temperature, on the average fiber diameter of a high melt flow index polypropylene and polycaprolactone is investigated using an extrusion process in order to achieve fiber diameters that are less than 1 micron.  Furthermore, the influence of molecular weight and, therefore, viscosity is also studied by utilizing two polycaprolactones with different melt flow indices. Co-extruded melt electrospun fibers will also be generated, which can be beneficial in the medical field, i.e. tissue scaffolding, ultra-filtration, and drug delivery systems.